Project Summary

Reviews the rise of Zhirinovskii’s LDPR in 1990-3. Clarifies issues of conceptualization, typologization and evaluation of various Russian right-wing extremist groups. Compares contemporary Russian fascism with inter- and post-war Western fascist agendas to determine the extent and direction of post-Soviet Russian political ideosyncrasies that can be conceived as expressions of modern parthologies.

Related Content for this Expert

This event highlighted the growing and complicated role of radical nationalist groups in European politics. It focused on the positions of Russian neo-fascist, fundamentalist, and ethnocentrist groups towards the Kremlin's recent foreign and domestic policies, as well as the complications resulting from Ukrainian nationalism in Kyiv's confrontation with Russia.The panel also addressed how Central and Western European populist and far right parties regard the events in Ukraine. more

The speaker will compare inter-war Germany and post-communist Russia, and compare both nations’ very different political paths. Like in Weimar Germany, in today’s Russia, fascist actors are present, and nationalism is widespread in the population. The post-Soviet Russian situation is, however, distinct from the inter-war German one in that the party system is heavily manipulated and the third sector remains underdeveloped. Fascists have thus neither had a chance to use elections nor did they have the opportunity to penetrate civil society in order to build up political support. The continuing presence of a resolutely authoritarian, yet non-fascist "national leader" (Vladimir Putin) is a hindrance for the country to become a liberal democracy, but makes it, for the time being, also improbable that the Russian regime will transgress towards fascism. more

This event highlighted the growing and complicated role of radical nationalist groups in European politics. It focused on the positions of Russian neo-fascist, fundamentalist, and ethnocentrist groups towards the Kremlin's recent foreign and domestic policies, as well as the complications resulting from Ukrainian nationalism in Kyiv's confrontation with Russia.The panel also addressed how Central and Western European populist and far right parties regard the events in Ukraine.

The speaker will compare inter-war Germany and post-communist Russia, and compare both nations’ very different political paths. Like in Weimar Germany, in today’s Russia, fascist actors are present, and nationalism is widespread in the population. The post-Soviet Russian situation is, however, distinct from the inter-war German one in that the party system is heavily manipulated and the third sector remains underdeveloped. Fascists have thus neither had a chance to use elections nor did they have the opportunity to penetrate civil society in order to build up political support. The continuing presence of a resolutely authoritarian, yet non-fascist "national leader" (Vladimir Putin) is a hindrance for the country to become a liberal democracy, but makes it, for the time being, also improbable that the Russian regime will transgress towards fascism.